| What
Drives Your Business?
Businesses
are powered basically by two different drives. Does
your business depend on nurturing wants (sales) or solving
problems (facilitating)?
A
retailer must nurture the desire, or "want",
to have an item. An emotional appeal in a sales mode
is important to growing the business.
If
you sell a service, you must solve a problem in order
to make the sale. That is why both Winning@Business
and Winning@Sales emphasize problem solving as a key
component. A key answer to finding out your prospects'
vision and barriers to success lies in active listening.
Develop
the want or solve the problems -- and make the sale.
Be Creative
Consider
creating your own newsletter. This is a great tool to
keep existing leads and customers aware of all that
you can bring to the table. It is also a way to introduce
a taste of what you can deliver.
Price or Risk?
Do
you offer your customer the lowest price or the least
risk? Before you answer, stop and think: Is the option
presented really an either/or question? Offering the
lowest price is a viable sales edge for many businesses,
but a uniform, high quality offering is the key to repeat
business.
A
track record of success reduces risk. Whatever sales
incentives your business offers, if your customers are
not pleased, they will not be back for more. Whatever
you are selling, your bottom line depends on quality,
service and consistency.
The
Legacy of Your Business
Just
like people, businesses have legacies too. Some businesses
are known for service, some for product, some for selection
and others for price. Regardless of how large or small
the business is, it usually has just one legacy or no
legacy at all. A business with no legacy depends on
a steady flow of one-time customers -- because there
is nothing to bring them back.
Building
the legacy of your business should not be left to chance.
The starting point is to find out what your current
legacy is. Don't assume you know. Ask 30 customers and
30 people who are not customers. Then study the results:
Are
you satisfied with your current legacy?
If
the current legacy appeals to a broad market niche that
could represent significant market share, you are in
a good position. Developing a new legacy is harder than
promoting one which is current.
How
can you enhance the current legacy?
Enhancement
is a combination of recognizing what is your business's
edge, its differential, and improving the internal reality
of your business to build on that strong point. If your
legacy is great service, then focus on how you provide
better service. Strategically, too many businesses are
concentrating so much on improving their weaknesses
that they fail to enhance the strengths that do appeal
to their market.
Enhancing
the legacy includes establishing an external perception
of your business that focuses on your legacy strength
to a broader market. That is the part that marketing
and advertising play.
Remember
-- first make sure your strength exists as a reality
within the company, then let your market know all about
it.
Quote of the Day
"Life
is really bizarre. You just have to be willing to be
the first to jump on and grab it." -- Tom Kodiak
|
